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LAKELAND, Fla. -- Bruce Rondon passed his first minor test of spring training Sunday afternoon in his quest to become the Tigers' closer.

Throwing against batters for the first time, facing his first dose of pressure, Rondon didn't appear nervous. He didn't look overwhelmed. He stayed around the strike zone and didn't freak out.

Which is good news for the Tigers.

If Rondon would have failed this first step -- which was nothing but a baby step -- then the Tigers would have been in serious trouble.

Make no mistake, it wasn't a major test. It wasn't a midterm. It was more like a pop quiz to start the semester.

Rondon pitched to a group of players you have probably never heard of. For the most part, each one got to see three pitches. There was no umpire.

But when the big flamethrower took the mound -- the guy who could be the most important member of the Tigers' bullpen -- it was clear that all eyes were locked on Rondon. He has turned into the biggest story line of spring training. Several photographers stood along the side, capturing the moment, and several coaches and members of the front office watched from behind the batting cage.

Manager Jim Leyland sat behind the fence, out of sight, but he was watching. "I was watching his demeanor," Leyland said. "I was watching his delivery."

Rondon didn't throw his hardest. He said he was throwing at about 90 miles per hour, about 10 miles below his cruising speed.

"Overall, he did a good job," said Ramon Cabrera, a minor league catcher who drew the short straw and caught Rondon. "When the games start, he will be 100%."

Rondon showed that he has more than a fastball. He mixed in a change-up, slider and sinker. Sometimes, while throwing the sinker, Rondon would open his shoulders too early, a minor flaw in his mechanics that caused the ball to tail to the right. On the next pitch, Cabrera would call for a change-up and Rondon's mechanics fell back into place.

Remember, he's still a work in progress.

Jeff Kobernus, who has never played above Double-A, hit a line shot off Rondon right back at the mound that nearly ripped Rondon's glove off. Rondon stood there smiling.

"When he starts throwing those breaking balls, they are tough to pick up," Kobernus said. "He has that late, sharp break. If he has throwing that with the fastball touching 100, he's going to be tough to hit."

But keep it in perspective. It wasn't a real game. It wasn't even a spring-training game. It was simply batting practice.

Before the workout, Leyland said that he expected to hear positive reports from batters about Rondon.

"It's something that you expect to hear because of his arm and his equipment, but it's something that I don't pay any attention to," Leyland said. "When they pull that cage away and David Ortiz is in there and it's 3-2 in the ninth inning, and the bases are loaded in Fenway Park, that's a whole lot different than the cage here at Gehringer Park at Tigertown."

The Tigers have a lot of talent in their bullpen and a lot of players who fit different roles.

But it all hinges on Rondon. If he is not the closer, then Leyland will have to start juggling the pieces, changing roles.

"It will all play out," Leyland said. "We have a lot of equipment. We just have to get it oiled up right. Get it in the right spot."

To get everything in the right spots, the Tigers need this kid to be the closer.